LA City Council Approves Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
| LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved a proposal to ban single-use plastic bags across the city. The ban was approved 13-1 and will affect 7,500 grocery stores in the city. Large retailers will have six months to phase out the bags, while small retailers would have one year. Paper bags would also cost customers 10 cents. City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who recently announced his candidacy for the mayor of L.A., told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO less than 5 percent of the bags used across the city ever reach a recycling bin. "Tese plastic bags clog our... |
Ban on plastic bags at L.A. markets is approved
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
| Los Angeles became the largest city in the nation Wednesday to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a major victory to clean-water advocates who sought to reduce the amount of trash clogging landfills, the region’s waterways and the ocean. Egged on by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and an array of environmental groups, the City Council voted 13 to 1 to phase out plastic bags over the next 12 months at an estimated 7,500 stores. Councilman Bernard Parks cast the lone no vote. |
S.F. LEGISLATION - Where windbags dare to outlaw plastic bags
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| On his official website, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi starts his list of accomplishments with this item: "Plastic Bag Ban: First-in-the-Nation ban on plastic bags in chain grocery stores and drug stores, which sparked similar legislation around the world from Oakland to Canada to Paris to Beijing." In his final month as supervisor before he becomes sheriff, Mirkarimi wants to expand the ban so that it applies to all stores and requires retailers to charge customers for bags at the checkout counter. "First in the nation" is rarely a good thing for a law. First, it means the measure is... |
New startup believes it has a way to cheaply convert methane to ethylene
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| When people think of uses for petroleum, they generally think of oil and gasoline, but doing so means ignoring the production of ethylene, a compound used to make many of the products most people use every day, such as plastics. Unfortunately though, as the price of petroleum goes up, so too does the cost of producing ethylene and all the products that come from it. This is why chemical researchers have been searching for years for a way to produce ethylene via anther process. Now, startup company San Francisco based Siluria, believes it has found a pathway there using methane... |
The Plastic Sandwich Bag Flunks
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Many retailers and schools are advocating waste-free options for back-to-school shoppers this year, especially when it comes to lunch. School lists call for Tupperware instead of Ziplocs, neoprene lunch bags instead of brown paper ones, and aluminum water bottles, not the throwaway plastic versions. Sales of environmentally friendly back-to-school products are up just about everywhere. At the Container Store, the increase is 30 percent over last year for some items, said Mona Williams, the company’s vice president of buying. “We have seen a huge resurgence,” she said. The trend makes the schools happy (much less garbage). It makes the stores... |
Cheap Plastic Made from Sugarcane
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Dow Chemical is building a plant to make polyethylene from sugarcane at costs that rival petrochemical production. Making plastic from sugar can be just as cheap as making it from petroleum, says Dow Chemical. The company plans to build a plant in Brazil that it says will be the world's largest facility for making polymers from plants. The project will begin with the construction of a 240-million-liter ethanol plant, a joint venture with Mitsui, that is set to begin later this year. By the beginning of next year, Dow will finish engineering plans for facilities that will convert that ethanol... |
Plastic, Heal Thyself
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Enlarge Image Light Therapy. Metal atoms (circles) absorb UV light, allowing them to move and reform bonds with binding groups on polymers (semicircles), healing a damaged polymer. Credit: Gina Fiore for Adolphe Merkle Institute/Case Western Reserve University/US Army Research Laboratory. Leave your child’s plastic toys out in the backyard over the summer, and the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays bleach them and make them brittle. But UV light can be a healer, too, according to a new study. Researchers have created a polymer that mends itself when hit with a bright beam of UV light. The new self-healing plastic could... |
The First Plastic Computer Processor
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Two recent developments—a plastic processor and printed memory—show that computing doesn't have to rely on inflexible silicon.Silicon may underpin the computers that surround us, but the rigid inflexibility of the semiconductor means it cannot reach everywhere. The first computer processor and memory chips made out of plastic semiconductors suggest that, someday, nowhere will be out of bounds for computer power. Researchers in Europe used 4,000 plastic, or organic, transistors to create the plastic microprocessor, which measures roughly two centimeters square and is built on top of flexible plastic foil. "Compared to using silicon, this has the advantage of lower price... |
A whole new Romney for 2012 presidential run (Romney is still a fake RINO poser)
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Washington — Defying his reputation as a 1950s square, the new, more casual Mitt Romney is popping up around the country as he readies a second run for president. He's going tieless on network TV, strolling NASCAR pits in Daytona and sporting skinny Gap jeans bought for him by his wife. His latest campaign book, just out in paperback, opens with a regular-guy scene: wealthy Mitt in a Wal-Mart checkout line, buying gifts for his grandsons and comparing the surroundings to Target, another discount store he says he's familiar with. |
L.A. County passes sweeping ban on plastic bags
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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Enacting one of the nation's most aggressive environmental measures, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ban plastic grocery bags in unincorporated areas of the county. The vote was 3-1, supported by Supervisors Gloria Molina, Mark Ridley-Thomas, and Zev Yaroslavsky, and opposed by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. Supervisor Don Knabe was absent. The ban, which will cover nearly 1.1 million residents countywide, is to the point: “No store shall provide to any customer a plastic carryout bag.” An exception would be made for plastic bags that are used to hold fruit, vegetables or raw meat in order...
Organic Crystal Allows Excitons to Travel Further, Produces More Efficient Plastic Solar Cells
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Rubrene crystal raises hope for the use of organic semiconductors and cheaper, more efficient solar cells Rutgers University physicists have found new properties within a material that could lead to the production of less expensive and more efficient plastic solar cells. Vitaly Podzorov, co-author of the study and assistant professor of physics at Rutgers University, along with his research team have discovered that organic semiconductors allow energy-carrying particles -- which are created by "packets" of light -- to journey a thousand times farther than researchers previously thought. "Organic semiconductors are promising for solar cells and other uses, such as video displays, because they can be... |
150 people fined for throwing plastic bags in drains
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Cracking the whip on all those throwing plastic bags in drains, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fined nearly 150 people and collected a fine of Rs 1.32 lakh in a fortnight. After having learnt lessons from July 26 deluge, when plastic bags had blocked drains and led to flooding in the metropolis, the civic body has formed two 'plastic ban' squads consisting of six people. "We have collected a fine of Rs 1.32 lakh from 146 people who were caught throwing plastic in drains in the last 12-13 days. These people are largely hawkers and shopkeepers," Deputy Municipal Commissioner... |
Dead squid gets plastic surgery
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
The patient needed just a nip and a tuck — nothing three experienced plastic surgeons couldn't handle. But the patient in this case was a 12-foot Pacific giant squid, and already dead. On Friday, surgeons hunched over a gelatinous carcass, laid out like a wet dress on a stainless steel table outside the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology. Their mission: Stitch up its battle wounds and reattach its head. OIMB's director, Craig Young, said the goal was to make the creature a presentable attraction at the future Charleston Marine Life Center. Plans call for a 6,000-square-foot, two-story public museum and...
Calif. moves to ban plastic bags at grocery stores
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- It could soon cost California shoppers at the checkout aisle if they forget to bring their own bags to the grocery store. Legislation passed Wednesday by the California Assembly would prohibit grocery stores, pharmacies, liquor stores and convenience stores from giving out plastic bags. |
Back to the ObamaCare Future (price controls in Massachusetts)
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Natural experiments are rare in politics, but few are as instructive as the prototype for ObamaCare that Massachusetts set in motion in 2006. The bills for "universal coverage" are now coming due, and it appears the state political class is prepared to do lasting damage to one of America's top-flight health-care systems. Last month, Democratic Governor Deval Patrick landed a neutron bomb, proposing hard price controls across almost all Massachusetts health care. State regulators already have the power to cap insurance premiums, which Mr. Patrick is activating. He also filed a bill that would give state regulators the power to... |
Most Indian Plastic Toys Are 'Toxic' [Mostly made in China]
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Most Indian Plastic Toys Are 'Toxic' The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) studied a sample of Indian toys and found that all of them contained high levels of phthalates. Phthalates are chemicals used to soften plastic and the group says India has no regulations to control their use. The use of these chemicals in Europe and the US is strictly regulated. 'Most vulnerable' The CSE studied a sample of toys sold in India and found that all of them contained high levels of phthalates, Sunita Narayan, director of CSE told a press conference in Delhi. Nearly half of them... |
Plastic chemicals 'feminise boys'
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Chemicals in plastics alter the brains of baby boys, making them "more feminine", say US researchers. Males exposed to high doses in the womb went on to be less likely to play with boys' toys like cars or to join in rough and tumble games, they found. The University of Rochester team's latest work adds to concerns about the safety of phthalates, found in vinyl flooring and PVC shower curtains. The findings are reported in the International Journal of Andrology. Plastic furniture Phthalates have the ability to disrupt hormones, and have been banned in toys in the EU for some... |
Study: Chemicals in plastic can make boys act more like girls (Does this explain man-child Hussein?)
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Study: Chemicals in plastic can make boys act more like girlsBy Rosemary Black DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Monday, November 16th 2009, 4:09 PM Chemicals found in many plastics are causing little boys to act more like little girls, according to new research. A team at the University of Rochester studying the safety of phthalates -- chemicals in the plastic used in many household objects – found that they can actually disrupt hormones, according to BBC News. The chemicals affect the baby's developing brain by deactivating testosterone, the male sex hormone, according to the BBC. In the study, scientists tested urine... |
U.S. Army orders bridges made of recycled plastic
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Axion International Holdings has won a $957,000 contract to provide the U.S. Army with two bridges made from a thermoplastic composite and recycled plastic, the company announced Wednesday evening. The two bridges, which are replacing old wooden ones, will be constructed at Fort Eustis in Virginia from a proprietary Recycled Structural Composite (RSC) developed by Axion in conjunction with scientists at Rutgers University. The railroad cross-ties will be made entirely of a plastic composed of recycled materials from both consumer and industrial plastic waste. Axion asserts that its recycled plastic railroad ties are actually longer-lasting that typical creosote-treated wood railroad... |
Missouri lawmakers ban wrong plastic
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (KWMU) - A law taking effect this week could make criminals out of people who bring Tupperware onto many Missouri rivers. The law was intended to reduce the floating debris from discarded foam coolers. But lawmakers confused their chemistry and barred the wrong plastic. The white foam coolers commonly called "Styrofoam" are made from expanded polystyrene. But the law bars polypropylene instead. That's a plastic found dishwasher-safe plastic containers. The mix up means river floaters can use foam coolers without fear. But someone caught with a plastic container could risk up to a year in jail. |
Plastic Surgery Tax Eyed As Revenue Raiser
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
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| Face-lifts, tummy tucks and hair transplants could be hit with a new tax to help finance the trillion-dollar healthcare overhaul plan, according to sources familiar with the Senate talks. The Senate Finance Committee has discussed imposing a 10 percent excise tax on cosmetic surgery deemed unnecessary for medical purposes. The idea was broached in a meeting with OMB Director Orszag in mid-July, after which Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus told reporters he had heard some "interesting," "creative," and "kind of fun" ideas. The tax, which has not been officially scored, would plug some of the revenue gap senators are seeking... |
Those Reusable Grocery Bags Can Cause Food Poisoning
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
| Once again the cure is as bad as the illness. Remember when you went to the grocery store and brought your food home in brown paper bags. Those bags were great, they had so many uses once you brought them home, everything from trick or treating, to trash bags. Throughout my school years every text book I had was covered with one of those brown paper bags. But those bags used paper and the environmentalists wanted to save the rain forests so they switched to those thin plastic bags. The plastic could still be used for Halloween, and are perfect... |
Mineral water in plastic bottles contaminated with hormones (Chems act like female hormones in body)
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
| Scientists at Frankfurt University have shown that mineral water in plastic bottles is contaminated with chemicals which act like female hormones in the body. A research project in conjunction with the German Environment Ministry showed that some were as contaminated as water from sewage works for the oestrogen-like substances. Martin Wagner, who worked on the study, said in a statement, “When we started the work we did not expect to find such a massive oestrogen contamination in a foodstuff which is so strictly controlled.” The scientists examined 20 different brands of mineral waters, 12 of which displayed heightened hormone content. |
Retailers Pull Plastic Bottles From Shelves Citing Safety Concerns
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
| Retailers Pull Plastic Bottles From Shelves Citing Safety Concerns Concerns about the chemical component Bisphenol-A (BPA) lead several major Canadian retailers to pull plastic bottles from their stores today. Chains including The Bay, Zellers, Canadian Tire, Sport Chek and Athlete’s World have removed conventional plastic water bottles from their stores following the lead of other retailers including Mountain Equipment Co-op, Lululemon and Aviva Natural Health Solutions. Health Canada is widely expected to officially list BPA, a chemical component frequently used in clear, moldable, polycarbonate plastics, as a potentially dangerous chemical substance as early as today. In the United States, the... |
Hey Buddy, wanna buy a bag (plastic bag ban)
Monday 28th of May 2012 09:32:17 PM
Posted by admin / Under Plastic Canvas
| By Wiley Smith; July 24, 2008 Just saw that Los Angeles banned plastic bags and will charge 25 cents for each paper bag the store supplies to customers. Three percent of the bag fee will be returned to the retailer (0.045 cents), 3 percent (0.045 cents) will go to the state, and the rest (0.16 cents) will go back to the city to fund an education campaign. Of course, some enterprising individuals likely will be selling the bags for less, buying them at a landed cost of 0.05 cents and doubling their money for a sell price of 0.10 cents... |
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